This is a sorta-help post. There used to be a place near duPont Circle that had over 400 kinds of beer. They even have old cans around the whole perimeter of the room, including ones that looked like old oil cans of the 20's and 30's. If it is still open, it's worth the trip. Maybe a DC person can help us here

You're talking about the Brickskellar and yes it's still there. Food, however, is not all that great. Stick with simple stuff like a burger or a sandwich and you're fine. And make sure you have at least 3 alternative beers; they tend to run out of EVERYTHING.

RFD in Penn Quarter has slightly better food and a wide craft beer selection. But the best beer/food combo would be Rustico in North Old Town near the Braddock Road Metro. Several cask ales, thirty-some taps, huge beer selection right behind the bar for you to see.

Another vote for Brasserie Beck. Excellent food and good selection of beer. Definitely make a reservation or plan on going early. Birreria Paradiso in Georgetown is another good bet (food is limited to pizza, very good pizza! though).

You might try the new Commonwealth "gastropub" in Columbia Heights, it's a British pub inspired place. It's right at the Columbia Heights metro, which is pretty easy to get to from Md suburban metro stations, and a cheap parking garage across the street, too.

I'll second Commonwealth, although the focus is on old school British cuisine. If you're hungry for Spanish tapas or chicken caesar salads, this isn't your place. But if you're into cask ales and welsh rarebit and roasted bone marrow salad, you're in for a treat.

definitely Brasserie Beck if you are a beer connoseur. We ordered a bottle of wine and the waiter treated us to a beer tasting of everything they had on tap too (thank God i wasn't driving!) Food was good too.

If you are willing to trade great wine BTG for beer, you might consider Grapeseed if you are in the Bethesda area...great food & wine.

Definitely a full vote vote for Brasserie Beck, and only a half vote for Commonwealth as I haven't been yet.

RFD and Brickskellar, however, get negative votes. While having very impressive beer selections, their food is pretty crappy. The only edible things coming out of either kitchen are deep fried, and I wouldn't exactly call that "good food."

You're absolutely right, deep fried can be better than half bad. Eamonn's in Old Town is a perfect example of that. However, when a restaurant buy bags of frozen jalapeno poppers and chicken fingers from Costco and then throws them in a deep fryer (like RFD and Brickskeller do) that's an entirely different animal.

I'm not saying that there isn't a place for that food, because quite frankly after 6 or 7 beers at RFD, it's just what ails you! My point is that I don't think that's what the OP meant when he referred to "good food"